Flowmeter



1.. v. GUILD Oct. 26, 1943.

FLOW METER Filed Dec. 24, 1942 INVENTOR. -74 1 aw BY m A Patented Oct. 26, 1943 r LloydV. Guild,Pittsburgliflajassi f p I rell Technical Supply Uompanw Pi'tts'burgh;

Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application December 24, 1942, Serial No. 469,995

3 Claims. (01. 7s-205) This invention relates to improvements in now The manometer l0,may be connected directly meters, and it is among the objects thereof to to the tubes 6 and l but are preferablyconnected provide a flow meter construction which elimby the flexible conduits, such as rubber hose 8 and inates contact between the gases flowing there- 9, to permit placing the manometer remote from through and. the liquid in the flow meter manomthe flow meter for the convenience of the user. eter. I The manometer is provided with graduations I8 In the use of flow meters to indicate the rate calibrated to designate the rate of flow in acof flow of gases in gas samples being measured cordance with the desired rate established by the and the like, the gas in'conventional practice size of the orifice of the capillary tube 5. contacts with water ortother liquid in the ma--' 10 The operation of the above described flow me nometer, which results in the absorption of ap- 1 ter is briefly as follows. preciable amounts of the gas in the liquid. In Gases flowing through the meter enter the gas analysis work it is also possible that such adinlet tube 3 and pas into the constricted cap sorbed gases may be liberated to the gas stream illary tube 5 from which they pass from the due to temperature change or to the fact that barrel l to barrel 2, and thence through the outthe gas being sampled is of substantially different i let ias indicated by thearrows. Since the rate composition than the gases last passing through of flow between the inlet and outlet 3 and 4,

the flow meter. v v respectively, is restricted by the capillary tube In accordance with the present invention, th 5, eater p e r l be eXerfied 011 flOab flow meter is so constructed that any gases flow than on float i3; with the result that the presing therethrough are isolated from the liquid; of sure is transmitted to the column of water or the manometer, and the rate of flow is measother liquid designated by the levels [9 and'lfl. urable with the same accuracy as in conventional in the manometer It], the level 19 designating the flow meter structures. rate of gas flow.

The invention will become more apparent from 5 It will be seen from the foregoingdescription a consideration of the accompanying drawing of the invention that by means of the floats, the

. constituting a part hereof in which like refergases passing through the flow meter are isoenc characters designate like parts, and in lated from the liquid in the manometer, thereby which the single figure is a vertical cross-sectioneliminating possibility of absorption by the liquid. alview partially in elevation of aflow meter with It is also evident that the float construction a flowmeter manometer attached thereto. provides a sensitive instrument which will ac- In the drawing the numerals I and 2. desigcurately register the volume or rate of gas flow nate barrels having a gas inlet conduit 3 and through the meter. The device is of simple conan outlet conduit 4, the barrels being connected struction, and there are no operating parts that by a capillary or orifice tube 5 extending into are subject to wear orthat could in any manthe upper chambers of the barrels I and 2. ner produce variations in the use of the device.

Inner tubes 6 and I extend from the bottom Although one embodiment of the invention has upwardly into the barrels and a substantial disbeen herein illustrated and described, it will be tance through the bottom wall of the barrels for evident to those skilled in the art that various connections by flexible conduits 8 and 9, respecmodifications may be made in the details of.

tively, with a flow meter manometer l0. construction without departing from the prin- The barrels l and 2 are filled withmercury ciples herein set forth.

II or other suitable liquid to a level terminating I claim:

short of the upper ends of the tubes 6 and I. l. A flow meter for measuring the rate or Floats l2 and I3 are slidably mounted in the top volume of gas flow comprising a gas receiving of the tubes 6 and 1 and have guides in the and a gas discharge chamber, an inlet connecform of plungers I4 freely slidably in the tubes 6 tion for the receiving chamber and an outlet and l, the plungers being provided with bleeders Connection for the discharge C amber, said 0113.111. l5 so as to offer no resistance to their downward h rs c m unica ing through a restricted orifice movement. The floats have depending skirt porto establish a pressure differential between said tions is which extend belowthe level I! of the chambers, a tube extending through the bottom mercury in tubes Sand 1 and are of a Weight to of each of said chambers a substantial distance remain partially submerged in the mercuryto into said chambers, liquid filling the bottoms of seal-oil the gases in the upper chambers of the said chambers to a distance below the upper barrels I and 2. t ends of said tubes, floats constituting movable closures for said tubes, each having a plunger slidably mounted in one of the tubes and having depending skirt portions submerged below the top of the liquid in one of the chambers to seal off the chamber from the tube, and a pressure responsive flow indicator connected across the bottom ends of the tubes outside of the gas chambers.- e

2. A flow meter for measuring thefrai ze or'vol ume of gas flow comprising a plurality of barrels, each having a tube extending through the bottom a substantial distance into the barrel and a tube extending through the top short of the ends of the bottom tubes, mercury in said barrels at a level below the top, of the bottom" 15 1 nometer.

3. A flow meter as described in the next preceding claim having bleeder vents extending '4 through the float plungers from within the floats in communication with the manometer.

LLOYD V. GUILD. 

